A $1,000 grant from the Rosamond Thaxter Foundation of Maine will enable youth at The Chase Home in Portsmouth to have an opportunity to participate in competitive athletics and gain important life skills.
“We are very grateful for the Rosamond Thaxter Foundation’s history of generosity and commitment to at-risk youth,” said Meme Wheeler, executive director of The Chase Home. “Because of their support, our residents will have opportunities at a scale otherwise not possible.”
Serving youth from age 11 to 19, The Chase Home provides life enhancement opportunities on a regular basis throughout the year. These activities provide opportunities for at-risk youth to gain confidence and practice important life skills while simply having fun as kids.
“Such life enhancement opportunities have included community or school sporting activities, educational field trips, adventure-based learning activities and group recreational activities,” said Wheeler, who noted the grant fills budget gaps.
“While Title I provides us with $8,000 per year for life enhancement activities, it represents a mere fraction of their actual cost,” she added.
The Rosamond Thaxter Foundation’s mission is to support charitable organizations in and around Kittery Maine, Portsmouth New Hampshire, and the Isles of Shoals. A lifelong resident of Kittery Point, Maine, Rosamond Thaxter was a philanthropist, writer, public speaker, and world traveler. “Rozzie,” as she liked to be called, established her charitable foundation in 1964 to continue to support local non-profit organizations with whom she had been involved for many years.
Founded in 1877, The Chase Home in Portsmouth is one of the oldest nonprofits in New Hampshire, serving more than 140 at-risk youth annually statewide through prevention, early intervention, residential and community-based programs. Some youth are served in the community while others live at The Chase Home.
To learn more about The Chase Home, visit www.chasehome.org.
-end-